By Coach Randy Cox

As a coach, I'm always looking for something to help reduce the risk of injury to my runners so that they can train more consistently and pain-free. In the past, I've often recommended inserts, orthotics and assorted braces or supports for this purpose. Although all of these can occasionally be useful for getting through an injury, they can also become a crutch, weakening us and making us more dependent on such devices. Much can be done to avoid initial injury if we simply strengthen the running-specific stabilizer muscles. If we strengthen these areas, many of us can decrease our dependence on corrective devices, and some of us can eliminate our need for them entirely. Below are four excellent running-specific exercises that can be performed at home without any special equipment. They develop strength in the muscles that support the feet, ankles, knees and hip areas during running, and can be completed in 5-10 minutes.

These exercises are designed around two principles:

1) The cause of many running injuries is the fact that runners have plenty of strength to propel themselves down the road or around a track at high speeds, but many of them can hardly balance on one leg. The imbalance between the strength of the primary movers and the stabilizers causes Achilles' tendon and plantar fascia injuries, shin injuries, "runner's knee", and IT band/hip and back injuries.

2) Exercises that activate as many running stabilizing muscles as possible all at the same time are superior to exercises that isolate individual muscle groups. In running, we never use muscles in isolation.

THE EXERCISES

ONE LEGGED SQUATS - Use a standard height dining room chair. Stand on one leg about 6 inches in front of the chair. Lower your weight slowly (4 counts down) until your rear just touches the chair (no resting there). Raise your weight (2 counts). For this exercise to be effective, you must lower yourself straight down, keeping your shoulders directly over your pelvis (you'll want to lean forward about half way down, but don't!). It will help if you pick a spot high on an opposite wall or on the ceiling on which to focus. Try to keep your pelvis forward. Keep your non-weight bearing (free) leg in front of you and straight as possible to help your balance. Build to one set of 20 reps. Note: At the beginning, don't go down so far (down to a chair). Over time you can very gradually progress to a deeper squat. If you experience knee joint pain, you are probably going down too far.  I have had knee surgery, so I only squat down about 6 inches.  If you still feel pain while doing a very limited squat, discontinue the exercise.

ECCENTRIC CALF REACHES (AKA QUICK TAPS) - Stand 2 feet from a wall (the farther away the harder it gets). Stand on one leg. Imagine three spots on the wall (about 1 inch off the floor). One spot is directly in front of you, one is 1-2 feet to the left of center, one is 1-2 feet to the right of center. Reach with your non-weight bearing foot to tap each of those spots in consecutive order, returning to your starting position in between each tap. Never should you let the tapping foot bear weight---to fully maintain the contractions on your stabilizer muscles, you need to keep weight only on the supporting leg. At first, you may not be able to do this quickly, but you want to build to doing it as quickly as possible to simulate the different phases of your foot strike. You'll see your foot flat (neutral), supinating (rolling outward), and pronating (rolling inward) as you do this exercise. Build up to 2-3 sets of 30 taps on each foot. This will really strengthen the stabilizing muscles of the foot and lower leg.

SWEDISH STAIR RAISE - This is the exercise the Swedes developed for Achilles' tendon rehab. It is great for the calf and shin. Simply stand on the ball of one foot on a stair tread. Lower your weight on a 4 count. Then use both legs to quickly raise your weight back to the starting position. Repeat this (down with one leg, up with 2) until the set is completed, then do the other leg. Try to build to 1 set of 30-40 reps. with the weight bearing leg straight (works gastrocnemeus), and one set of 20 reps with the weight bearing leg bent at the knee (works soleus) as you lower your weight.This exercise emphasizes eccentric contractions of the running stabilizers, just as they are used when running. In an eccentric muscle contraction, the muscles are being stretched forcefully at the same time as they are contracting (shortening). This puts a lot of stress on the calf/Achilles tendon, making this area prone to injury. Eccentrically strengthening these muscles makes them more injury-resistant. Note: As in all the other exercises, start slowly. The first time I did these, 7 reps was enough. See how you feel and work accordingly. There is no need to hurry!!

STAIR SWINGS - Stand on a stair tread (this time cross-wise with the walls to your front and back). Stand on one leg with the other hanging over the edge in space. Let the leg drop as far as it will without bending your weight bearing leg more than 10-15 degrees (slight bend). Then, rock your pelvis slowly forward (push your pelvis toward the front wall) for 5 counts, and then back (push pelvis toward back wall) as far as you can for 5 counts. While doing this, your non-weight bearing leg will swing forward as you push your pelvis forward, and backward as you push the pelvis back. Progress to 30 reps on each leg. By letting the pelvis drop on one side and then rocking it back and forth, you are simulating what is happening during mid-stride.


***I hesitate to tell you where you should "feel" each exercise working, as they rely on an array of running stabilizers. Most likely, you will "burn" wherever you are weak. Some people will see their foot wobble around, some will feel shin/calf burn, and others will experience IT Band/Hip and glute (butt muscle) discomfort.

***If your stabilizers are really weak (as most runners are), you'll have to start with just a few reps, but you'll progress quickly if you do the exercises several days/week. When you get good at these, they can all be done in 5-8 minutes total.

***Do these exercises barefooted as this will help build more strength since you won't be relying on shoes for support.